WHO HAS INFLUENCED YOUR LIFE PROFOUNDLY?

"Slightest actions often meet the sorest needs, For the world wants daily little kindly deeds ..." Hymn 230

Tim, the clerk at the Post Office, reinforced my belief that most human beings are kind and generous.  It was near Christmas a couple of years ago that he saved my week.  I was on a tight deadline - you know the kind - you might squeak in under the wire with a minute to spare or at least get where you belong and slide into place only one minute late.  I was in the long parcel post line snail crawling to the counter;  finally it was my turn to step forward.  The parcel priced out cheap - less than $10 - maybe less than $5. That was when I discovered I had misplaced my chequebook.  I almost melted. Tim simply and quietly said to me, "I will put this amount in for you - just bring it in to me when you can".
I was dumbfounded. Really? A complete stranger was willing to pay for my parcel to be mailed AND trust me to 'bring it to him later' - at my convenience? I protested - but not much. My parcel made the deadline for its mailing. My schedule was not disrupted; in fact it was cleared and the following morning I returned the man's money.
I am not sure what affected me more - just the simplicity of my schedule miraculously allowing me to meet my  responsibilities (you know the feeling of triumph when you arrive on time or even a minute early AND got everything done) or the basic trust a stranger placed in me (that made that triumph possible).  I don't think it was a big deal to him. He received the money back with barely a trace of a smile - his usual face - and a quiet, "thank you, I  knew you'd come back." Did that make a difference to him? I hope so, but I can't imagine anything achieving the magnitude of influence his sincere and unselfish action had for me.